Time switch alarm



' y 8, 9 0. H. H. ANDERSEN 2,202,72

TIME SWITCH ALARM Original Filed Feb. 24, 1939 fiventor: Hewbert Hfimd erserw,

y His Attorney.

Patented May 2 8, 1940 PATENT OFFICE TIME SWITCH ALARM Herbert H. Andersen, Beverly, Mass, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Original application February 24, 1939, Serial No. 258,219. Divided and this application November 7, 1939, Serial No. 303,256

1 Claim.

This application is a division of my application filed February 24, 1939, Serial No. 258,219 for a Time switch. Said prior application describes a time switch particularly designed for timing the operation of domestic electric ranges and this type of switch has often been referred to as a range timer.

Associated with such switch and controlled by the same timing motor is a timer signal which the user of the switch may set to give a signal at a predetermined time or after a predetermined time interval. Such signal is useful for signaling the end of short time intervals and it is to such invention that this divisional application relates.

It is the object of my invention to provide a reliable, simple and inexpensive adjustable time signal suitable for use in connection with range timers. 1

The features of my invention which are believed to be novel and patentable will be pointed out in the claim appended hereto. For a better understanding of my invention, reference is made in the following description to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the operating features of my time signal shown in combination with a time switch mechanism, both being operated by the same timing motor, and Fig. 2 is a perspective face view of a range timer equipped with my time signal.

It is not essential to an understanding of my invention that the details of the time switch mechanism be fully described herein, and I will only refer to such parts thereof in this application as cooperate in the use of the time signal.

At i is a synchronous electric motor or other suitable timing device. Its field coil H is energized through the line wires HH and 95 which furnish energy to the electric switch contacts. It is to be understood that the motor is continuously energized and is intended to operate continuously. The part designated l2 represents a gear casing containing reduction gearing between the motor rotor and the gear train indicated at l4. Included as a part of the range timer is a clock driven by the timing motor and with which the setting of my time signal may be correlated.

The minute and hour hands of the clock are designated l6 and I1 and these hands are driven with respect to the conventional clock dial through the gear train designated l4. l3 represents the minute hand shaft, which is connected to the gear train l4 through a friction clutch [5 to permit setting of the clock. The back gears between the minute and hour hand shafts are shown at 20, 2| and 22. The clock hands may (Cl. Nil-23) be set by turning the thumb nut 63. This thumb nut is connected to the hour hand shaft 48 through gears 6|, 50a and 22.

As a convenience to the housewife and cook I have provideda signal bell l8 operated by the timer mechanism by means of which the desired ending of short cooking periods or other short time reminder periods may be signaled. For this purpose a shaft 19 may be connected in driving relation with the timer motor through clutch 80, gear BI and gear 82. Shaft 19 is movable endwise. It is biased forward by a spring 83 which is also a bell clapper member and which bears against the rear end of shaft 19. Near the front end of shaft I9 it has fastened to it an eccentric finger 84 and a pointer knob 85. Pointer knob 85 indicates on a minute dial 86 and finger 84 cooperates with the front clock plate 64 and in the zero minute indicating position of pointer 85, finger 84 registers with an opening 81 in the clock plate and in such position will enter the opening under tension of spring 83 and move shaft 19 forward, demeshing gear 8| from gear 82 and the clapper 83 will strike bell l8 and give av signal. In the position of the parts shown shaft 79 has been pushed to the rear to disengage arm 84 from slot 81. Also, knob 85 has been turned to indicate 30 on dial 86. The shaft 19 is thus held in this rearward position by reason of finger 84 hearing against the rear of plate 64. In such position gears 8| and 82 are in mesh and shaft 19 is driven clockwise, in this case, at the rate of one revolution per hour. Spring 83 is under tension. In thirty minutes finger 84 will register with opening 81, shaft 19 will quickly move forward, I

gear 8[ will be demeshed from gear 82 and the upper end of clapper spring 83 will strike the bell, giving a signal. This mechanism then remains out of operation until reset by pushing in on knob 85 and turning it to the left to the position desired. Shaft I9 may thus be turned when pushed to the rear and gears BI and 82 are in mesh by reason of slip friction clutch 80.

This is a convenience for timing short operations which need not necessarily have to do with cooking but which may have to do with cooking operations that are too short or too exacting to be left to automatic switch operation. For example, suppose eggs boiled exactly four minutes are desired. The time required for the water to come to a boil is indefinite since it depends, for example, on the original temperature of the water. As soon as the water starts to boil, the eggs are put in and pointer knob 85 set at four on dial 88. In exactly four minutes the bell will sound, signaling the end of the four minute period. Where desired the shaft 19 may be geared to rotate faster than one revolution per hour and the dial 88 graduated accordingly for greater accuracy in setting and timing. This signaling convenience, 'while operated by the same timing mechanism as the time switch and clock, does said pointer indicates, a supporting plate through which said shaft extends, a member secured to said shaft behind said plate having a finger eccentric to said shaft, an opening in said plate at one point in the arc of travel of said finger with which said finger registers in one rotative position corresponding-to a zero time indication of said pointer on said dial, a spring fixed at one end and pressing forward against the rear end of said shaft and serving to press said finger against said plate and into said opening when the finger registers-therewith, a bell, a bell hammer on the free end of said spring, said spring also serving as a bell clapper to strike said bell when the shaft is moved forward at its zero time indicating rotary position, a gear rotatively mounted on said shaft driven by said motor and a slip friction clutch between said gear and shaft.

HERBERT H. ANDERSE'N. 

